Caged dogs found in home of couple charged in son's death
(statement from their attorney is stunningly clueless)
Caged dogs found in home of couple charged in son's death
NEW YORK (AP) — Seemingly neglected caged dogs and other animals were found in the foul-smelling, garbage-filled home of the New York couple arrested and charged with beating their two teenage sons, one fatally, said an animal advocate who rescued the pets.
Deborah Leonard enters the courtroom for a hearing, Friday, Oct. 16, 2015, in New Hartford, N.Y. Leonard and her husband have been charged with fatally beating their 19-year-old son inside a church, and four fellow church members have been charged with assault in an attack that also left the young man's brother severely injured. (Tina Russell/Observer-Dispatch via AP, Pool)
Kimberly Strong, founder of Lainey's Army, an animal advocacy group based in central New York, said the home of Bruce and Deborah Leonard — now under arrested — had four neglected dogs, three birds and several cats in and around their home. Feces and urine were everywhere, she said. "Conditions in the house were abhorrent; it smelled to knock you out," Strong said Sunday. Strong said neighbors concerned about the animals called her earlier last week and she alerted authorities. On Thursday, a few days after the couple was arrested and charged — she walked through the home with Clayville animal control officer Gordon Chafee and a New York state trooper, she said.
New York State Police did not return calls for comment on why authorities did not make arrangements for the animals earlier. "I saw a female dog running loose with a big macaw and the cats," she said. "And I saw a Rottweiler and a beagle locked in basement cages."
Chafee said it was plain to see the animals needed help. But also, he said, there was "trash everywhere" in the home. "It was a terrible experience," Chafee said. "I don't see how human beings could live in this house, because it was just so unhealthy. And the smell of urine made my eyes smart."
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Bruce Leonard's attorney said prosecutors hadn't proved the couple intended serious injuries to their son.
http://www.mail.com/news/us/3897182-caged-dogs-couple-charged-sons-death.html#.23140-stage-hero1-4
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